Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-07-23

I set it about that he was q devil, and the peo-
/ pie drove him away, and he journeyed for
| eight months and reached Mackeuzie's place,
as heard, dying. That's all know; and If
/ YOU ask me, believe that it is lie; but il
/ you want to find out more about it you had
| better go up the Tana to Mackenzie's place,
| and ask him for information
/ Sir Henry and | looked at each other.
| Here was something tangible.
| al think that we will go to Mr.. Macken-
sies,n said,
"Well," answered the consul, 'that is your
best way; but warn you that you are likely
to have rough journey, for hear that the
Nasal are about, and, as you know, they are
not pleasant customers. Your best plan Will
be to choose few picked men for personal
| servants and hunters, and 70 hire bearers
| from village TO village. 1t will give you an
infinity Of trouble, but perhaps on the whole
! it will prove cheaper and more Advantage
Gus course than engaging caravan, and you
viii be less liable TO desertion.'
| Fortunately there were at Lamu at TINS
time a party OF Wakwaf Askari tsoldiers).
| The Wakwaf, who are cross between the
Nasal and the Wataveta, are fine manly
| race, possessing many of the good qualities OF
of the Zulu and greater capacity for civil
cation. They are also great hunters. AS it
happened these particular men had recently
been long trip with an Englishman named
Jutson, who had started from Mombasa,
port about $50 miles below Lamu, and jour-
neyed right round Kilimanjairo, one of the
highest known mountains in Africa. Poor
| fellow, he had died of fever when on his re-
| turn journey, and within a days march OF
/ Mombasa 1t does seem hard that he should
| have gone off thus when within few hours
| of safety, and after having survived SO many
perils, but so ii was. His hunters buried him,
| and then came on to Lamu in dhow. Our
! friend the consul suggested to us that we had
| better try and hire these men, and accord
| ingly on the following morning we started to
| interview the party, accompanied by an in
| terpreter.
| In due course we found them in mud hut
on the outskirts of the town. Three of the
men were sitting outside the hut, and fine,
| frank looking fellows they were, having
more or less civilized appearance. To them
we cautiously opened the object of our visit,
| at first with very scant success. They declared
| that they could not entertain any such idea,
| that they were worn and weary with long
| travelling, and that their hearts were sore at
the loss of their master. They meant to go
| back to their homes and rest awhile. This
| did not sound very promising, so by way OF
efrecting diversion | asked where the re-
mainder Of them were was told there weIe
| six, and / saw but three. One of the mt1s
| said that they slept III the hut and were yes
resting after their labors--"sleep weighed
down their eyelids, and sorrow made their
hearts as lead; it was best to sleep, for with
sleep came forgetfulness. But the men should
| be awakened"
L., Of hut win
| the first two men being evidently of the same
race and style as those already before us; but
| the appearance of the third and last nearly
made me jump out of my skin. He was very
| tall, broad man, quite six foot three, should
4 say, but gaunt, with lean, wiry looking limbs.
| MY first glance at him told me that he was
no Wakwafi-he was pure bred Zulu. He
| came out with his thin, aristocratic looking
| hand placed before his face to hide yawn,
| so could only see that he was a "Keshla,P or
| ringed man, and that he had great three
cornered hole in his forehead. In another
| second he removed his hand, revealing a
| powerful looking Zulu face, with a humorous
| mouth, short woolly beard tinged with
| gray, and pair of brown eyes keen as q
| hawks. I knew my man at once, although
had not seen him for twelve years. 'How do
| you do, Umslopogaass" / said, quietly, IN
| Zulu.
| The tall man (who among his own people
was commonly known as the "Woodpecker,"
| and also as the "Slaughterer'1 started, and
| almost let the long handled battleax he held
| in his hand fall in his astonishment. Next
second he had recognized me, and was salut-
| ing me in an outburst of sonorous language
| which made his companions the Wakwafi
| stare
4 ba hcnro,, aK u-pa uatat
| Koos-y-umcool!" (chief from of old-mighty
chief. "Koosl Babal" father. "Macuma-
| zahn, old hunter, slayer of elephants, eater
| up of lions, clever one! watchful onel brave
| onei quick onei whose shot never misses,
who strikes straight home, who grasps hand
and holds it to the death" d. e., is a true
| friend. "Koosl Baba wise is the voice of our
| people that says: Mountain never meets
| with mountain, but at daybreak or at even
| man shall meet again with man Behold a
| messenger came up from Natal. Macuma-
! zahn is deadp cried he. The land knows
| hIacumazahn no more That is years ago.
| And now, behold, now is this strange place Of
| stinks find Macumazahn, my friend There
is no room for doubt; the brush of the old
jackal has gone little gray, but is not his eye
as keen, and are not his teeth as sharpe Hal
hal Macumazahn, mindest thou how thou
didst plant the ball in the eye of the charging
| buffalo-mindest thou
had let him run ON thus because saw
that his enthusiasm was producing marked
effect upon the minds of the five Wakwafs,
who appeared to understand something Of his
talk; but now thought it time TO put stop
to it, for there is nothing that hate so much
as this Zulu system of extravagant praisng-
"bongering," as they call it. "Silencel" /
said @Has all thy noisy talk been stopped
since last saw thee that it breaks out thus,
and sweeps us awayg What doest thou here
with these men-thou whom lefb a chief in
Zululand? How is it that thou art far from
thine own place, and gathered together with
strangerss"
Umslopogaas leaned himself upon the head
Of bis long battleax (Which was nothing else
br+ n vole q v with "A hanutif1l haudla of rhi-